Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 2, 2026

Orientational Transition in a Liquid Crystal Triggered by the Thermodynamic Growth of Interfacial Wetting Sheets
Published on: May 15, 2017
Quasibinary amorphous phase in a three-dimensional system of particles with repulsive-shoulder interactions
Yu D Fomin1, N V Gribova, V N Ryzhov
1Institute for High Pressure Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences, Troitsk 142190, Moscow Region, Russia.
Abstract:
We report a computer-simulation study of the equilibrium phase diagram of a three-dimensional system of particles with a repulsive-step potential. Using free-energy calculations, we have determined the equilibrium phase diagram of this system. At low temperatures, we observe a number of distinct crystal phases. However, under certain conditions the system undergoes a glass transition in a regime where the liquid appears thermodynamically stable. We argue that the appearance of this amorphous low-temperature phase can be understood by viewing this one-component system as a quasibinary mixture.
Related Concept Videos
First Law: Particles in Two-dimensional Equilibrium
Newton's first law tells us about the...
First Law: Particles in One-dimensional Equilibrium
Phase Transitions: Sublimation and Deposition
Structures of Solids
Phase Diagrams of Ternary Systems
The Phase Rule
